Caroline Cobb Smith

18 months!

2011-09-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

Ellie recently had an 18 month photoshoot with our amazing friends The Heatons. They did a great job capturing Ellie even though all she wanted to do was run around and play. Just thought I'd share some of our favorites... I posted a bunch more over on Facebook that you can look at if you're my FB friend.

11/11/11 is coming quick!

2011-08-27T11:08:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to give you guys a quick update on how things are going with The Scripture to Music Project, my goal to write a song for every book of the Bible by the time I turn 30 on 11/11/11.

The other day, I dropped Ellie off at Mother's Day Out and went to work. I re-wrote and re-recorded my Leviticus song, wrote/recorded a song from 3 John, and finished/recorded a song from 1 Thessalonians. At the end, I sat down and worked on a song for Daniel and I think it's pretty much finished, but I still need to record it. They aren't all the best songs I've ever written, but that's ok.

So, after productive day, I have 14 songs left to write and record - 5 from the Old Testament and 9 from the New. 11/11/11 is about 11 weeks away. I feel good about accomplishing my goal, as long as I keep the right attitude (it's not about me) and I'm ok with pulling an all-nighter or two.

These are the books I still have to cover (if you have any ideas of what I should write about, let me know! I'm being serious!!)...

1 Kings
Amos
Obadiah
Haggai
Zecheriah
2 Thess
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John

Here's a song from Isaiah I wrote this month that I'm excited about... It's from a passage that is rich with good news for me and you.

Girly Girl

2011-08-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

First off, I apologize for being such a terrible blogger of late. I took a nice, kind of unintentional break from reading blogs and writing this one as I worked on getting this one over here up and running.

Sooooo.... I think we have a girly girl on our hands:

Exhibit A: Heels [video]

Exhibit B: Purses [video]

Exhibit C: "Pedicures"

Exhibit D: Baby Dolls

And I didn't even mention the way she loves to play house, hates to be dirty, loves to look at her outfits in the mirror, and loves trying on different shoes.... All. Day. Long. Oh man, what is this no-makeup, shopping-makes-me-feel-panicky, tomboy mom going to do? :)

Take Refuge from God in God

2011-06-08T15:14:00.000-07:00

"We must hide our unholiness in the wounds of Christ as Moses hid himself in the cleft of the rock while the glory of God passed by. We must take refuge from God in God. Above all we must believe that God sees us perfect in His Son while He disciplines and chastens and purges us that we may be partakers of His holiness."

- A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy

I've been reading and studying the minor prophets a lot lately... yep, those scary books full of God's judgement and phrases like "consuming fire". When I signed myself up to write a song for every book of the Bible in a year, I was mostly thinking about writing songs from the Psalms, etc.... and I've had several "oh-crap-these-books-are-intense" moments while trying to write songs from the minor prophets (not to mention Leviticus, eh?).

But as I've studied these books - specifically Joel, Zephaniah, and Malachi - in the past few weeks, I have seen a major theme emerge: Even as God sends His all-consuming wrath against sin, He sends a refuge from that very same wrath. We cannot hide from His judgement, because we all fall short of His holiness. And yet, He says "hide here." Hide in the wounds of Jesus and hide behind the cross.

What I'm trying to say might be best summed up by a chorus that I wrote for "A Place to Hide" (the song I wrote for Zephaniah, see below to listen and download):

Oh He’s both the refuge and consuming flame

Oh He brings the judgment and He mediates

Oh He sends the justice and He justifies

Sends the wrath that finds you and the place to hide

You know that verse that Christians quote from Zephaniah? The one that says "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing"? When put in the context of God's just judgement, His wrath and His consuming fire, this verse becomes very, very good news and so much more than a feel-good verse that reminds us of God's love.

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://carolinecobb.bandcamp.com/track/the-place-to-hide-zephaniah"&amp;amp;gt;The Place to Hide (Zephaniah) by Caroline Cobb&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;

June 1 a Year Ago

2011-06-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

The below is from my journal June 1, 2010, which was my last day of work at Gordon-Conwell and just a few days before we moved back to Texas after being away for 4 years. I was really overwhelmed about moving to Tyler, mainly because we hardly knew anyone here besides Nick's family... It's just amazing to see how God has answered this prayer:

"God, we pray for community - real, authentic - that would encourage us toward You. We pray for a sense of purpose there, and we pray for a church and an opportunity to be a part of Kingdom work..."

God, thank you for our community here in Tyler. The way you put it right in front of us almost immediately - it's really amazing how quickly we have gotten to know these friends here. And thank you for giving us purpose - I know that I have never felt more purposeful with music than I do right now with this Scripture to Music project, and my mom gig is so fulfilling. Thank you for the opportunities you have given Nick so far. We are still trying to figure out our total purpose here, but we are catching glimpses. And thank you, thank you for our church - the way you led us right to it, and the for the amazing people there. And thank you for the opportunity to share your love and your story with high school kids through Young Life. Thank you for your love and care for us, even in the smallest details and the hard moments too. Amen.

Why The Scripture to Music Collective?

2011-05-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

I know I've mentioned something called The Scripture to Music Collective here on this site quite a bit. But what is it exactly, and what's the purpose of it anyway?

It all started when I made a personal goal this year of writing a song for every book of the Bible by 11/11/11. I wanted to do this project for several reasons, but a big reason is because I wanted to begin to tell God's Story - the whole story - book by book. Even the hairy, messy parts.

But then I thought, why would I keep this project to myself? If more songwriters joined in, if this were a collective project instead of an individual one, we could tell the Story more thoroughly and more vividly.

If you listen to popular Christian music, you won't hear very many songs that come straight from specific narratives and passages in Scripture. Sure, you'll hear lots of songs that draw from Scripture - one verse here and one verse there. There are also several musicians out there who write music for Scripture - word for word - to help with Scripture memorization. There is nothing wrong with these approaches, but The Scripture to Music Collective aims to do something very different.

The point is NOT to rewrite or even enhance Scripture, but to engage with all of Scripture and to encourage the Church to engage with it as well. It is about keeping the truths of Scripture as of primary importance, but allowing the songwriter to take these truths and "riff" a little bit, if you will, using perspective, feeling, and context.

The video below illustrates what I think The Scripture to Music Collective could be. The people at the Johnny Cash Project have created this beautiful music video using one of Cash's songs and images from thousands of artists all over the world. If you watch the video, you'll see that the song and the images are cohesive and consistent, and yet the artists' renditions of the individual frames are unique and so evocative. The artists are all telling the same story, but the story is richer and more vivid for the efforts of the individual artists. That's what I think The Scripture to Music Collective is about!

Things We Want to Remember...

2011-05-17T14:25:00.000-07:00

A short little list about all the things we want to remember about 14 month old Ellie...

1. The funny way you stick out your tongue, and how you think it's hilarious:

2. The way you show us your belly

3. The way you "growl" when you see a dog or an animal:

4. You are nurturing and sweet, giving kisses and hugs often to your mom, dad, family, and friends. We treasure those, even though your kisses are a bit slobbery.

5. You never meet a stranger, but wave hello to everyone in the grocery store, at the park, & at church.

6. You're starting to say "daddy":

7. Your first bike ride.

8. Your first boat ride (at least since you've been more "aware").

9. You are "communicating" a lot, telling us what you want - so expressive...

10. Your hilarious obsession with cheese. You would eat it breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack time, if I let you.

11. Your funny definition of "toys":

12. Your enthusiastic way of signing that you are "all done".

13. Your nicknames: Ellie Bell, Ellie Belly, & Els. Your dad calls you Sweet Pea and Beautiful a lot too. I call you "Love" and "Lovey" a lot.
14. How you love to "read", oftentimes in your chair, and especially your favorite book Brown Bear, Brown Bear:

Catching up on real estate news?

Free Download of Far Beyond Me

2011-05-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

Dear friends.... Yesterday was a BIG day for me. As I mentioned before, yesterday marked the halfway point for my year-long goal: to write a song for every book of the Bible by 11/11/11. And as of yesterday, I've posted 35 songs from 33 (out of 66) books. I can't believe I've made it this far! I'm humbled and excited and I feel privileged to get to tell God's Story.

To celebrate, I am giving away HALF of my albums for the amazing low price of....FREE!

You can download my first album, Far Beyond Me, here for a limited time. Just click download and follow the directions, and it's all yours! As a bonus, I've also included two hidden songs from the Scripture to Music Project. You'll just have to download Far Beyond Me to find out what they are.

Please pass this on if you'd like. I am just so excited about getting halfway, and I thought this would be a fun way to celebrate.

happy mother's day!

2011-05-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

We just got home last night from a fun weekend in Houston, celebrating Mother's Day with my mom, my sisters, and their families. Nick and I have wonderful moms, and we are so thankful for them! Now that I am a mom, I am all the more thankful :)

Notice the matching outfits... my mom likes the matching outfits quite a bit.

Family shot.

Ellie and her cousin Charly. Ellie LOVES her cousins!

The four moms on Mother's Day.

Swimming at the pool. Again, notice the outfits :)

Halfway!

2011-05-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I actually get to write this post! I am really excited to let you know that I am HALFWAY DONE with my goal of writing a song for every book of the Bible by my birthday on 11/11/11.

This Thursday, May 12, I'll post a song from Job on The Scripture to Music Collective site. This song will be the 35th song that I've posted and the book of Job is the 33rd book of the Bible from which I've written a song this year.

Sometime this week or next, I'm going to post a really big "SALE" of all of my music to celebrate getting to the halfway point, so be on the lookout!! The Scripture to Music Project has kept me very busy and I had no idea what I was getting into when I said I would do this.... BUT I have found great joy and purpose in telling God's Story again through songwriting.

I did hit a wall just a few weeks ago, and felt really down and overwhelmed. I couldn't think of any melodies, and songwriting was draining me rather than energizing me like it usually does. I felt like I was fighting with the songs - wrestling with them - instead of having them come naturally and shaping them like a sculptor might shape and mold his clay.

In an especially down moment, I did something that I - unfortunately - had not done much of lately regarding this project: I prayed...."God, would you just give me a song. Let me decrease, and you increase. I'm sorry that I've made this about me."

It was really crazy, and it was an answer to prayer, but I had a major breakthrough that same week... I finished two songs that I had been "wrestling" with and I recorded those two and two others within the few hours that Ellie was at Mother's Day Out.

This has been an amazing experience so far and, although I've never celebrated my half birthday before, I am definitely celebrating this one!

A Fun Giveaway via a New Friend!

2011-05-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you guys know that for the next few days, you can enter to win both of my albums - Sing and Far Beyond Me - over on my friend Katie's blog. It's easy to enter, and you just might find a new blog that you love to read.

I can tell you that every time I read Katie's blog, I am encouraged by her honesty, her love for her family, and her trust in God despite some really hard challenges with their two precious kids. Here's a little bit more about Katie, taken from her blog.... I really appreciate the last paragraph:

"R & I met in Spain in 2000 and have been married since 2003. If you're new to our blog, you can find the beginning of Will's story here, documenting the point in our pregnancy at which Will was diagnosed with a very rare syndrome affecting all four of his limbs. Will knows no limits in life. You can read about Will's birth here. Will is full of contagious smiles and laughs. His zest for life brings us immeasurable joy.

Ellie Grace is the newest member of our family. She was born in August of 2010. She too brings us such joy with her coos and smiles. Ellie was diagnosed with AMC affecting her joints and causing her to have a limited range of motion. You can find the beginning of Ellie's story here.

Our story continues to twist and turn but ultimately we know the Author. We believe He is a creative Creator who has designed each of our children uniquely and with great purpose. He has blessed our family through each of our children in more ways than we can imagine. This is the story God has given us and the one we have to tell. So glad you're here!"

So, go on over to Katie's blog and enter! :)

Easter 2011

2011-05-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

This is a little late, but I wanted to post some pictures from our Easter weekend. We had a great time with friends and Nick's family, and spending our second Easter together as a family of three.

Hanging out in her Easter dress after church.

First Easter egg hunt - she actually figured it out! Ellie loved to put eggs in her bucket, then throw them out again.

Ellie with her Smith cousins.

I thought it would be fun if Ellie played in the sprinkler.
Nick thought it would be fun if she was in the nude.
Both were fun.

Saturday night dinner and wine tasting with friends & no kids.
Really thankful for this time and the way God has provided us with these friends.

Thankful #71-90

2011-04-25T09:42:00.000-07:00

I haven't written a post about thankfulness in a long while... too long, in fact. As I write what I've been thankful for, I want to remember to be thankful in all things, not just in the good things, or the things that look good on the outside.

#71 Time alone and outside in Arizona

#73 Struggling with, but hammering out, 2 new songs

#74 Time on the front porch

#75 Being ridiculous together

#76 Friends who babysit

#77 A special night with friends - no kids

#78 Ellie walking

#79 Redefined purpose

#80 Support for music from new friends

#81 An open door

#82 Playing in the sprinkler

#83 New life and new cousins.

#84 These two. Together.

#85 He laid death in his grave

#86 1 Corinthians 15. All of it. Wow.

#87 An understanding husband.

#88 A thoughtful husband.

#89 Nick's family and spending time with them over Easter

#90 Hope

Why is Good Friday So Good?

2011-04-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Holy Week, I am going to try to post a video a day, similar to the one below. I hope it helps you dwell on what was accomplished for us on that Sunday so many years ago.

Why?

Because Sunday's coming.

Video by Igniter Media

A Heavy Load to Carry

2011-04-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Holy Week, I am going to try to post a video a day, similar to the one below. I hope it helps you dwell on what was accomplished for us on that Sunday so many years ago.

Just last week, Nick and I went to Arizona. He was on business and I... well... I mostly just sat by the pool. :) What was cool though is that I also got to spend a lot of time working on songs for the Scripture to Music Project - one for Hebrews and one that I'm currently calling "Gethsemane", taken from Mark 15:26-52.

For "Gethsemane", I tried to both describe what is happening and also capture the feeling and emotion and angst of what is happening. It might sound a little presumptuous, but put yourself in Jesus's shoes on the night before he went to the cross, just for a minute. Late on Thursday night, and into the early morning on Good Friday.... He knows He is about to be betrayed by Judas, and He knows the painful death that approaches. It's dark and growing darker, and the weight of what lies ahead lays heavy upon Him.

The song ends on Friday, and it doesn't allude to Sunday at all. I think we often skip ahead to the end of the story - to the resurrection - without dwelling on the darkness and sadness of that Thursday and Friday. The cross Jesus carried was much more than just a physical object - it was all of our mess and sin and grief, and it was a heavy load to carry indeed.

I climbed a mountain with three friends

Feel the darkness pressing in
I ask them to please stay awake
And I go off alone to pray

Father, please
Would you take this cup
It’s a heavy load to carry
But not my will
But what you want
Until I’m dead and buried

Sweat and blood they fall like tears
It seems the last star’s disappeared
Death it comes to separate
And my friends can’t stay awake

Father, please
Would you take this cup
It’s a heavy load to carry
But not my will
But what you want
Until I’m dead and buried

They came with clubs to capture me
An old friend he kissed my cheek
And all my friends they ran away
And I’m alone, denied, betrayed

Father, please
Would you take this cup
It’s a heavy load to carry
But not my will
But what you want
Until I’m dead and buried

My God, my God’s forsaken me
Hanging broken on a tree
Who can save you now they laugh
The darkness comes, I breath my last

The Power of the Cross

2011-04-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Holy Week, I am going to try to post a video a day, similar to the one below. I hope it helps you dwell on what was accomplished for us on that Sunday so many years ago.

We used to sing this song by Keith and Kristyn Getty at our old church in Boston, and it is rich with truths that I know I need to meditate on as Easter approaches. I love a particular line in the last verse:

"Oh to see my name, written in the wounds..."

What a LOVE, what a COST. We stand forgiven at the cross.

I'm not really familiar with this song, but Keith Getty describes it as a prequel to "The Power of the Cross", so I wanted to post it here! It makes the good news of the first song that much better.

Come Awake

2011-04-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Holy Week, I am going to try to post a video a day, similar to the one below. I hope it helps you dwell on what was accomplished for us on that Sunday so many years ago.

If the message of Easter is true, if Jesus' resurrection laid sin and death in the grave, then why do we often live as if it's not true - as if those things never happened? Shackled, sleepy, and bored.

There is a great song called "Christ is Risen" by Matt Maher, and my brother-in-law Rob's company Igniter Media did an amazing video using it. Re-watching it just now filled me with hope and excitement for Sunday morning. Seriously, make sure you watch til the end.

I love the last part: "O Church, come stand in the light. Our God is not dead; He's alive!"

He Laid Death in His Grave

2011-04-18T14:39:00.000-07:00

When I get the chance, I like to read blogs by songwriters that I really respect and look up to... a more recent find being Audrey Assad. I read this post by her the other day, and it has stirred in me since, particularly the words she quotes from John Mark McMillan's song "Death in His Grave" (see video and words below).

As Good Friday and Easter Sunday approaches, I am trying to dwell on this thought... that death is defeated and one day we will no more feel its sting. Instead, we will experience LIFE full and complete. Hard to imagine....

The DEATH of death!

To celebrate Holy Week, I am going to try to post a video a day, similar to the one below. I hope it helps you dwell on what was accomplished for us on that Sunday so many years ago.

PS - I just wrote a song the other day about Jesus' experience in the Garden of Gethsemane, and I'll try to post it at some point this week.

Although the earth cried out for blood, what satisfied her hunger was

Her billows calmed on raging seas for the souls of man she craved

Sun and moon from balcony turned their head in disbelief

That precious love would taste the sting, disfigured and disdained.On Friday a thief, on Sunday a King;

He laid down in grief, but awoke with the keys of hell on that day;

First-born of the slain, the Man Jesus Christ laid

Death in his grave.

Tribb is Here!

2011-04-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

With his big brothers and sister.

Our newest nephew, Robert Tribble Thomas ("Tribb" for short), is here! He was born on Thursday morning and weighed in at 8.1 lbs. Ellie and I had the privilege of going up to the hospital on Thursday to check him out. He's super cute! Praise God for a healthy baby, no complications, and new life. Just needed to do the via the blog :)

#4 for these guys.

My sweet sister who was looking forward to her 4 day "vacation".

What Does It Matter Anyway?

2011-04-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://carolinecobb.bandcamp.com/track/all-is-vanity-ecclesiastes"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;All is Vanity (Ecclesiastes) by Caroline Cobb&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;
Don't see the player? Click refresh or click here and listen to it on Bandcamp. PS - Download it for free!

I wrote this song the other week from the book of Ecclesiastes. It's called "All is Vanity" and that's pretty much the subject of the whole song (and the whole book of Ecclesiastes!).

Which got me to thinking...

Throughout time and history, billions of songs have been written and sung. 99.999% of them die away quickly and many are never even heard by a wider audience than.... like... the person's mom.

Plus, there are so many great songs out there already. Songs that move you, songs that make you dance, songs that make you laugh. It's like we have all the songs we'll ever need covering every topic you could dream up. As Solomon says in Ecclesiastes, there is nothing new under the sun.

So, why write another song? Who really needs another song when we have bazillions to choose from already? Who needs another everyday songwriter, yet another voice? Is it all, to quote Solomon again, just "striving after wind?" Is it all "vanity of vanities" and meaningless?

I've been asking myself these questions lately and, to be honest, have been pretty discouraged. In the last week or so, I've felt my creative energy drain away - maybe it's all the work we're doing on the house, maybe it's writer's block, or maybe it's just these questions getting to me?

Maybe it's a combination of those things, but here's the TRUTH that I'm trying to preach to myself:

As a Christian, I don't work and toil so that I can write the next great, lasting song. I don't write to gain fame or so that people will know my name. So why do I write? And why do I sing?

It is not gain significance under the sun.

For I have already gained great significance in Him.
Even more, He infuses everything under the sun with significance.

And so I write.
And so I sing.

To chase my own glory would be like chasing the wind.

I would come up empty every time.

But in His love, He has chased me.

And so I write.
And so I sing.

Why do you write, sing, blog, paint, mother, cook, work, design, study? What does it matter anyway?

Walking Girl!!

2011-03-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

Ellie took her first steps on March 14, about a week and a half after her first birthday! She's been really cautious since then, not ever wanting to do it - especially not on cue. But, the last few days, I think she's realized that walking is pretty cool and has been doing it a lot. :)

I finally was able to get a few steps on video the other day. When you watch it, please ignore my screaming.... I mean, wow, can you say excited, obnoxious mom?

When I see Ellie walk, and especially when she walks toward me, this wonderful sense of joy and excitement and delight wells up in me. I scoop her up and hug her and say in that high-pitched, excited-mommy voice, "GOOD JOB! You did it!".

Do you think this is how God feels when He sees us doing something that He created us to do, especially when its risky? I wonder...

PS - The couple in the video are our good friends (and soon-to-be neighbors!) here in Tyler, Carolyn and David. Ellie LOVES them, and she loves their son Hutch.

These Days

2011-03-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

Packing.

Painting.

Our new house! Inside you will find lots of boxes.

Running a fun 10K in our new neighborhood.

Spring springing.

Loving our boots and the weather.

Learning to use the sippy.

Hanging with Hutch.

God's Hidden Hand

2011-03-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

We recently studied the book Esther in my Tuesday morning Bible study, and I was so encouraged by its theme:

God's plans may be hidden, but his hidden hand is always working for His glory and for the good of those who love Him.

I sometimes wonder... why did this or that happen in my life? God, why have you moved us from Austin to Dallas to China to Boston and now to Tyler, TX? Why have we moved every 2-3 years? Why did my businessman husband go to seminary? How in the world did we end up in Tyler, where we never thought we'd be?

Could it be that one of the many reasons we have moved to so many places so that it has provided me with a larger audience of people to (hopefully) encourage with music? Maybe...

Could it be that one of the reasons we went to seminary in Massachusetts was because, there, all fertility treatment is free for those who have insurance? Did God, in His sovereignty, so sweetly work that out for us, all behind the scenes? I will never forget that feeling when I realized God's tender and providential care for us in this.

Could it be that Nick went to seminary at Gordon-Conwell not to become a pastor but to serve in other ways? What those ways are, we don't fully know quite yet... but we are seeing glimpses.

Could it be that, in Tyler, we are exactly where God's hidden hand has guided us to be for now? To serve our church? To love high school kids? To make new friends that will deeply affect us and live life with us?

God is telling a Story and, crazily, He is using our small stories to tell it. We can take great comfort in knowing that the Story maker's hidden hand is working, even if we can't see what it is doing, and it is working and moving for our good and His glory.

This song from Esther reminds us of this truth... I hope you like it!

Can't see the player? Click refresh or go here to listen, even on your mobile phone.

Ellie's 1st Birthday Party

2011-03-10T21:09:00.000-08:00

Ellie turned 1 this past Sunday! So hard to believe. We had a little party for her on Saturday, and it was really fun.

I had been excited about giving Ellie a one year birthday party for months... I can't explain why exactly... I'm not usually one to get excited about this type of thing. But, I think I just was so excited for her. I couldn't wait to celebrate her life. It's been one amazing year, and I think all of that pent-up joy, delight, and effort needed to get out somehow... and somehow it turned me into Betty-Homemaker-Cutesy-Party-Thrower. Hmmmm.

Ellie's invite was my first-ever Photoshop project, which takes care of #18 on the "30 before 30" list!
I was proud of myself.

Having just moved back to Texas after 4 years away, I thought it would be fun to go with the "Texas" theme, which I know all of our out-of-state friends will think is just so.... well, typical. Texans have their state pride, that's for sure. Who else frames their flag and hangs it on their wall? No one, apparently.

That flag is always there, by the way! See? Texas pride.

Ellie already owns her first pair of boots, courtesy of Target.

We had a Texas flag cupcake cake, PBJ sandwiches cut in the shape of Texas, pink Texas-shaped sugar cookies, Dr. Pepper, sweet tea, layered dip, and yummy ham and cheese sliders from Annie's Eats (not a Texas thing, but still... soooo good!).

Texas flag cupcake cake, made "girly" by using pink and turquoise instead of red and blue.

Hmmm... what to think?

She loved it!

All the friends and cousins, minus Felicity.

Melting down.

Future BFF Felicity who drove all the way in from Dallas.

We are so thankful for Ellie's first year, with all the ups and downs. Thanks Thomas and Bozeman cousins, Flarey, and Mimi and Papeaux, for driving in from so far away just to celebrate Ellie with us! And thank you to all of our friends and Nini and Papa here in Tyler for being there. We love you.

Nick's Trip to Sierra Leone (Pics!)

2011-03-10T07:17:00.000-08:00

A few posts ago, I told you that Nick was going to Sierra Leone, Africa with a team from our church. Well, he's back now (yay)! Nick and the team got back just ta week ago today after 10 days in SL, and it was a really good trip.

The thing that amazed me most about this trip was the way it fit Nick's heart and experiences like a glove...

Our church is partnered with a ministry there and, in many ways, ministries are just like businesses, right? The team weighed in on management decisions, small business opportunities, and met with the ministry's board. An amazingly perfect fit for Nick's business/management brain and his interest in social enterprise/microfinance (he took classes in seminary on this because he wanted to learn more).

The other part of the trip was pouring into the churches and church members - preaching on Sunday and teaching Bible courses (thankful for those preaching classes and seminary). Of course, our year in East Asia with Crusade was helpful from the missionary aspect too. So cool.

The church where Nick preached.

We are so thankful to God for allowing Nick to have this opportunity that used all of his "random" patchwork of things he is passionate about - social enterprise, business, and ministry.

The thing that surprised and saddened Nick most was definitely the level of poverty that he saw in the city of Freetown. The unemployment rate is especially high there (something like 75%), and the economy is only slowly recovering after so many years of civil war. We have seen poverty before - in Mexico, in China, etc. - but he said this was definitely different.

If you think about it, please pray for peace among the staff, wisdom for the board, and wisdom for our church as we continue this partnership. If you are hungry for more info, you can go back and read some of the day-to-day updates on our church's blog! More pictures hopefully to come soon too!

Birthdays and Trips Gratitude: #71-90

2011-03-07T12:56:00.000-08:00

As part of my "30 things to do before 30" list, I'm keeping a running list of everyday things I am grateful for. It helps me be more fully aware of the daily gifts that God gives, and all the sacred moments in a normal day. Inspired by Ann Voskamp's 1,000 gifts project and my friend Kit.

71. Glass of cold water before bed
72. Pancakes for breakfast
73. Husband home safe
74. Lingering breakfast with an old, dear friend
75. A warning instead of a ticket
76. Singing for friends who haven't heard me in a long time
77. Meeting other songwriters
78. Middle-of-the-night rocking to sleep
79. God's hand working in all things

80. One year with her, with all the ups and downs

81. The help of moms and mother-in-laws
82. The pink smear of icing and cupcake
83. Long dinner with old friends
84. A friend's vulnerability
85. More freedom in prayer
86. Job's responses to the stripping (Job 1:21 & 2:10)
87. Husband's trip fitting him like a glove
88. Making it 10 days without him
89. A night of recording music
90. New life in the middle of my dead plant

37 weeks left. 47 songs to go.

2011-02-27T18:56:00.000-08:00

Tonight, all I want to do is sit on my couch and eat Blue Bell ice cream with peanut butter (don't knock it 'til you've tried it!). I have no desire to record or write a song, although I have a good chunk of time since Ellie is sleeping and Nick is out of town. It's nights like these that I wonder... can I really do this? Can I really write a song for every book of the Bible before 11/11/11? This is TOUGH!

I put together a "best of" Scripture to Music playlist for those of you who would like to listen to the songs but maybe haven't been able to keep up with the 1 to 2 new songs a week (I can barely keep up myself!). If you listen to any of the songs, please listen to these. You can also download most of them for FREE! If you are reading this on Google Reader, or something like that, just go directly to the blog post. Hope they encourage you!

I'll also be posting a top four from every "quarter". Check out the first quarter top 4!

Best of Scripture to Music Project by Caroline Cobb

Nick's going to Sierra Leone!

2011-02-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

Today (Tuesday), Nick and 5 others from our church are heading to Sierra Leone, a small country in west Africa that is still trying to rebuild after years of civil war.

Our church has a partnership with a church in Freetown, and the group hopes to bless that church through pastoral training, a women's conference, preaching at 3 church services on Sunday, and helping them think through some sustainable small business options.

You might have to zoom in, but the picture below gives a lot more detail on what they'll be doing, and how you can pray.

In the meantime, I'm headed to Houston and then to Dallas to connect with friends and family. I get to play a concert in Houston on Thursday, and I get to go to a songwriting conference with Charlie Peacock on Saturday in Dallas (thanks to my sister who is babysitting and my mom who is driving up to Dallas with me to help me with Ellie!). How cool is that?

Nick and I are both excited about our trips, but I think Ellie and I are especially going to miss having Nick around here. Reading between the lines, that means I am especially going to miss having Nick around to help me with Ellie! :) But, of course, I'm also just going to miss having him here - many of you know that when your husband or wife leaves for a long trip, and you can't talk to him/her on the phone, it's like walking around with a missing limb.

Please do pray for Nick and his teammates if you think about it. And pray for me and for Ellie as we trapse across Texas and miss Nick. We are really going to be excited to have him back home on Thursday, March 3.

Thankful: #51-#70

2011-02-21T07:15:00.000-08:00

57. Laughing at a stupid movie with my husband - "I love lamp." & "Loud noises!!" - do you know which one it is?
58. "His nearness is our good"
59. The way Ellie waves bye-bye, floppy hand style
60. The way she's needing her mom lately
61. The all-day anticipation of a date night
62. Unexpected flowers from my husband

63. Handmade Valentine's cards

64. The way she rests her head on me in her shy moments
65. The clutch of a little hand on my arm as she sits on my hip
66. A breakfast & lunch date - all in the same day
67. Saturday lunch in the park
68. Ellie's smiles as she swings
69. Playing with the band yesterday morning
70. The hard lessons I learned in the year after college, and the way they can encourage someone now.

We Bought a House!

2011-02-20T14:27:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true! We bought our first-ever house. We have been holding out on the news until it was official, but now it's ours. And here she is! ***EXCLAMATION POINTS!!***

Sorry, not the best pic!

The short version of the long, crazy story is this... We have been looking, looking, looking since early this fall. In the fall, we had a contract on one house in a different neighborhood that we loved, but we pulled out because of some issues they found on the inspection. That would be house #1.

After Christmas, we put a contract on house #2 - just around the corner from our new one. We had the inspection, and we were going through with it. Still in our option period, we decided to take a drive by our new house (house #2). On the way home, we happened to drive right past this grey one (house #3) and saw the for sale sign up - it must have gone on sale just the day before. We looked at each other and said "Oh no! Well, let's just look at it to be safe."

When we looked at house #3, we instantly fell in love with it. It's exactly what we had been looking for. It's what I had imagined our first house to be. We really did love house #2... there were a few issues that we were just going to "deal" with, but we loved it. But then - BAM! - house #3 surprised us and we really loved it. Third times a charm, I guess!

Some of our favorite things about our new house....

It's an old, charming house in a historic neighborhood, but it doesn't require any "fixing up" (we are not those HGTV people!)
Some of our best friends in Tyler live just down the street (priceless)
The front porch (Nick's fave - he will be out there all the time)
The playground and park just around the corner really draws a diverse crowd, and we're excited to get to know people that we wouldn't normally get to interact with
The kitchen - snug but awesome!
Everything else!!!

Thanks for being excited with us. We move at the end of March and will be sure to put up more pictures then!

An Extraordinary Life?, Part 2

2011-02-18T07:15:00.000-08:00

I feel like I need to clarify a post from earlier in the month. In it, I mentioned that I wanted to stop focusing so much on doing big, "extraordinary" things for God and start focusing on being extraordinarily faithful. Extraordinarily faithful in the unobserved and ordinary moments.

I don't mean that it's wrong to chase a dream, to create, to imagine. In fact, I'm all about those things! I feel so alive when I am crafting a song. I dream about The Scripture to Music Collective becoming a movement. I take little steps to chase my dream of becoming a songwriter, like submitting songs to contests and working at it as often as I can so that I can write a better song.

But where things get twisted for me is when it becomes about ME. About making a name for myself. About doing something "extraordinary" in the eyes of the world. About being discontent with my life because I'm not "there" yet.

But if I'm always living for "there", then I'll never be fully here.

I have been really content lately (not the norm!). Content with writing songs because I love it. Putting them out there in the hopes that they'll encourage someone, but trying not to worry about how many people actually listened.

I think I've been more content because I'm trying not to view songwriting as a ticket to "there" but as part of who God made me to be... right HERE.

Do you agree? Disagree?

Here is a video of the song I wrote about this, mentioned in the last post...

Lyrics:

A Life Unobserved

2011-02-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

Nick's grandad, Rufus, passed away only a few weeks ago. At his funeral, they read through a few of his earthly accomplishments. He pastored a number of small-town Baptist churches and started a prison ministry that was always small.

"Brother Rufus" never made much money and was always doing outside jobs while continuing to do ministry full-time. He was never a well-known guy. As a preacher, he wasn't one to blow your socks off with his charisma or engaging personality.

He was more of a pastor, visiting folks in the hospital and at their homes. Let's just say that if Rufus had pastored today, he probably wouldn't have been "Google-able", even with a name like Rufus! He wouldn't have many Twitter followers or podcast subscribers. In fact, he probably wouldn't have tweeted at all.

In other words, Rufus was never extraordinary. He lived a life unobserved. But... it seems as though he was extraordinarily faithful.

My mother-in-law read a letter to her dad at the funeral on behalf of all of his kids. After teasing him for being stubborn and strict and a little ornery at times, she sincerely thanked him for doing 2 things. First, for loving and serving her mom so faithfully and adoringly. Second, for loving God's Word.

And aren't these the unobserved things of life?

Oh God, please help me to live faithfully in the unobserved things as well as the observed things.

Concert in Houston Next Thursday!

2011-02-15T15:02:00.000-08:00

So excited to be playing a concert in my hometown next Thursday, Feb. 24th at Bohemeo's! I'll be playing with an awesome up-and-coming band, Gatlin Elms. Check them out and vote for their band to play at the Cornerstone Festival here (yes, they are big time)!

There will be old songs and new never-recorded songs, including a few from the Scripture to Music project. And it will be like a way-too-late Houston CD release party for Sing, the most recent album.

A WEEK FROM THURSDAY! 8 PM! Just $5!

Bring yourself and all your people!

Woo hoo!

Happy Chinese New Year!

2011-02-11T09:18:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year was Feb. 3, and we had some friends over to celebrate the next night. Asian food potluck = deliciousness! And I got to check off #17 from my 30 Before 30 list too! Of course, we couldn't resist dressing Ellie up in her Chinese New Year best too.

An Extraordinary Life?

2011-02-10T08:37:00.000-08:00

Update: Watch a video of the song called "Extraordinary Life" in the post "An Extraordinary Life, Part 2".

My life looks very ordinary. I'm a wife and a stay-at-home mom living in a town in Texas a lot of people have never heard of. I give my daughter a bottle 4x a day, cook dinner, hang with friends, clean my house, lead Young Life. Before Ellie, I worked and did the normal 8 to 5 thing. See? I'm totally ordinary.

And then there's this songwriting thing. I often view it as my ticket out of "ordinary" and into "extraordinary." I mean, what if I could write a song that some famous rock star recorded? Yes...that would make me extraordinary. I would be doing something extraordinary for God, right? All this time spent writing and singing would be for something. It would be my day job, and I would start to love answering the common question "what do you do?" and I would start to love being introduced as a "professional songwriter." I would be extraordinary.

Wow. Don't I sound like a terrible person? Lately, I've felt convicted about this lie... the lie that we must do something extraordinary for God, the lie that ordinary is not enough.

The truth is, we should not focus so much on being extraordinary, but on being extraordinarily faithful to God in the ordinary moments on the most ordinary of days.

There is more to this story, and I'll post more about it in the coming days. But, until then I want to leave you with the lyrics of a new song I wrote a few weeks ago as I was thinking about these things. I hope it encourages you.

So, what's your story? What's your ticket out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary? Are you ok with being ordinary in the eyes of the world, knowing that you are extraordinarily made by an extraordinary God? Are you extraordinarily faithful in the ordinary moments?

Top 4

2011-02-03T08:59:00.000-08:00

Guess what?! I'm 25% done with my crazy goal of writing and recording a song for every book of the Bible before I'm 30 (on 11/11/11). Whew! It's been a fun ride so far. I've posted 18 songs from 16 different books. Only 50 left!

To celebrate, I've posted 4 of my favorite songs from the "first quarter". These are all free downloads, so download away and enjoy. Thank you to those who have followed along over on the Scripture to Music Collective site. I've had a few new songs from other songwriters too, so it's been fun!

If you're interested in hearing the other songs I've posted, please go here. You'll find songs from Nahum, Habakkuk, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Revelation, and more.

Strong as Death (Song of Solomon) by Caroline Cobb

Woman on the Roof (2 Samuel) by Caroline Cobb

Philippians 2 by Caroline Cobb

All the Stars by Caroline Cobb

Jude & Ellie: Then & Now

2011-01-26T13:32:00.000-08:00

My friend Ginger just sent me a few more pics from New Years Eve and I just had to post one of her son Jude and our little daughter Ellie. Baby friends for life, yo.

Ellie around 2.5 months and Jude around 3 months.

Ellie (10 months) & Jude (10.5 months) on New Years Eve. I love the little hand holding going on!

Concert Recap (Tazza 1/20/11)

2011-01-24T18:16:00.000-08:00

I played a concert at a venue in Tyler, TX called Caffe Tazza on Thursday night and had the best time!

Jar of Clay
Right before the concert, I was really anxious about my voice... just a few days before, I had no voice to speak of (literally and figuratively!) and could only whisper. I was nervous it wouldn't play out so well with a 4 hour concert! Much prayer and prescription drugs were had prior to the big event. Pulled out the big guns, I'm telling you.

I often remind myself that I am just a "jar of clay," and little cracks and creases like a weak, croaky voice only make the treasured message that I'm trying to sing about shine the brighter, even if my reputation decreases a bit. Turns out, the concert went fine. My voice held out throughout the concert - all 4 hours of it! - and I only croaked once or twice. :)

The Support of New Friends

So many friends came to the concert that night... friends I see all the time, friends I've only met in the last few weeks, and new friends who are more like friends of friends, really. I love sitting in my little chair, singing into the mic, and watching all of these friends talk and laugh and drink coffee and have a great time together. There were babies and parents of high schoolers and 20 somethings and grandparents and little kids... and even our head pastor and his family were there. What really amazes me is this... just a few months ago, I didn't know any of these people. And now we are surrounded by supportive friends. I am grateful.

And a big thanks to my friends the Heatons who took some amazing pictures at the concert. Just for fun. But it still made me feel like a rock star, ya know? Anywho, I big THANKS to all of you who came out. I hope you had a great time! I definitely did. Thanks for all of your support.

Ellie is 10 Months!

2011-01-17T08:54:00.000-08:00

Ellie turned 10 months on Jan. 6. So hard to believe she's only a month and half away from being one. Woah. When did this happen?

This month, Ellie celebrated her first Christmas, played with lots of cousins and friends, got to see old friends, laughed and talked a lot, and has started to learn how to "walk" with lots of support. Her favorite toys right now are her bouncy balls, her bath toys, and anything else that's not really a toy at all... like a pile of Christmas cards and things that she can pull out of the drawers... or even out of the trash (yuck). She definitely knows who her mom and dad are now, and that makes us feel great. I've been trying to sing hymns to her at night as part of her bedtime routine. My new favorite moments with her are when I'm comforting her after she's been crying or wakes up in the night, and she leans her head on me and falls back to sleep. Wow.

Here's a little video of what Ellie has been up to this month....

Thankful

2011-01-13T14:07:00.000-08:00

41. This beautifully written and God-centered blog: A Holy Experience.
42. Finding a new songwriting community online
43. Days to write and create
44. Talented photographer friends
45. Ellie's company
46. The way she crawls into my arms
47. Sweet Reunions
48. Skype dates with old friends
49. Time with the Cobb family, all together
50. Nieces and nephews

Art & Scripture

2011-01-12T08:52:00.000-08:00

Makoto Fujimara, an accomplished and well-known contemporary artist in New York, has recently released an amazing project called "The Four Holy Gospels". He has "illustrated" the four gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - using his art. An introductory video is posted below. Many of you may have seen this, but I wanted to make sure you did!

I love the part in the beginning where they speak about the line between worship and art, saying that the modern view is that you cannot do both together. But with this project, Makato proves that you can. The result is "connecting truth to beauty."

May I never separate my "jobs" as mom, wife, homemaker, and songwriter from worship. May it all be worship! When I write a song, when I change a diaper, when I make a meal, when I run an errand, may it all be worship. May I connect truth to beauty and beauty to my everyday and my everyday back to truth.

Makoto Fujimura - The Art of "The Four Holy Gospels" from Crossway on Vimeo.

New on Caroline Cobb Blog: Sexy Songs

2011-01-11T15:33:00.000-08:00

What am I even talking about? Go here to find out more...

caroline cobb: Sexy Songs

Sexy Songs

2011-01-11T15:28:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd grab your attention with that title. Did it work?!

Here are two songs that I've recently posted to The Scripture to Music Collective, one based on the story in the book of Ruth and one from Song of Solomon. These two songs are definitely a bit "sexy", especially the one from Song of Solomon (yeesh!). I hope you enjoy them. You can download them for free! Go to the Scripture to Music site to check out the lyrics.

Strong as Death (Song of Solomon) by Caroline Cobb

Where You Go (Ruth) by Caroline Cobb

10 books down, 56 to go!

New Years

2011-01-11T09:21:00.000-08:00

This is a little late, but I wanted to write a quick post about New Years 2010, since I don't want to forget it! Amazingly, many of our seminary friends were able to be in Houston for NYE, so we ended up having a reunion of sorts. There were new babies that we had never met and kiddos we hadn't seen in 6 months (a lot of growing happens in 6 months!). Most people there hadn't seen Ellie since she was about three months, and she's definitely changed quite a bit! Needless to say, it was a great time to be with these old friends again, although it didn't last long enough.

The next day, we got to go to brunch with the Hicks, the Laedings, and the Wolfes. It was such a great time, and we sat for a few hours just talking. It was a great start to 2011.

The newest additions: Felicity Hicks and Noel Lehtinen

The girls with the kids. We have DEFINITELY multiplied in the last year!

At lunch on New Years Day. I love these girls.

Ellie loves Aunt Rach.

Social little kid... She loves eating out.

Ellie also loves Aunt Ja.

Ellie's 10 Month Photoshoot

2011-01-10T09:13:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, we went out to Lake Tyler for a photoshoot with our good friends the Heatons. They are incredibly talented, and we are so thankful that they would do this for us. The pictures turned out so wonderful, and I know we'll really treasure these for a long time. If any of you Tyler people need a photographer, call up the Heatons!

I put a slideshow below of some of our favorites. Thanks again, Heatons!

5 Creativity Killers

2011-01-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

What kills creativity? Here are five things that really dry up my creative juices:

1. Jealousy - I started following a few of my favorite songwriters recently on Twitter, figuring it would help me understand their creative process, etc. But suddenly I found myself envying them - the community of artists and musicians and songwriters that they have, their freedom to do the creative thing full-time because it's their job, their gifts and abilities, their connections, and the fact that their identity equals "artist". Not only is jealousy just plain wrong... it also makes me feel inadequate and kills my desire to be creative, to dream, to write a song.

2. The Fame Disease - This one is loosely connected to jealousy for me. The question is this: "If I'm not a well-known songwriter, am I still a songwriter?" At what point does dreaming of being a "real songwriter" become discontentedness, and at what point should I stop dreaming and be satisfied with what I am right now? Heck, what does "well-known" even mean anyway? Why do I so want someone who is somewhat famous to sing one of my songs? I think the only prescription for the fame disease is faithfully "blooming where I'm planted" while still hoping for even more.... Oh, and more cowbell.

3. Self-critique - While some self-critique is undoubtedly a good thing, for me it stops me in my tracks before my creative juices really start to flow. I really need to let myself write and finish a song before I start picking it apart, or else I'll never finish it at all. Time-sensitive goals like the Scripture to Music project create urgency and help me get over this hurdle.

4. Audience Awareness - Again, a little bit of this is a good thing. But there is an order to things... first, I need to give myself space to write, even if the song only ends up being so-so and I'll never play it at a concert. Letting the audience "judge" me before they've even seen or heard me is a big creativity killer for me. I think this would be a problem if I ever became a staff writer.

5. Distractions - Twitter and Facebook and Web, oh my!

Your turn: what are your creativity killers?

Christmas 2010

2011-01-02T19:35:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas this year - our first one with Ellie. Even though Ellie doesn't really "get" the meaning of Christmas quite yet, it was fun to experience Christmas with her. Jesus' birth! Such an amazing gift. I can't wait for next year when she'll understand a little more.

This year, we got to spend time with Nick's family on the 18th (sorry, I have no pics!), spent Christmas Eve just the three of us (really special!), and then went to the Dallas area to be with my family on Christmas day and for a few days afterward. My parents took us to Great Wolf Lodge as our Christmas gift and it was really fun to be there with everyone. At Great Wolf Lodge, Ellie had a great time with her Cobb cousins and splashing around in the baby pool (even though it freaked her out at first). My highlights this Christmas were spending Christmas Eve as a family, opening gifts with Ellie, getting to go to our church, and seeing Ellie with all of her cousins at both the Smith and Cobb Christmas celebrations.

Here's a video and some pictures from Christmas 2010!

Here is a video of Ellie during the Smith family Christmas. She loved being in the middle of all the present unwrapping and cousin craziness! Her cousin Brianna took a little bow and put it on her head, and she crawled around obliviously.

Ellie in her Christmas dress

Playing in the baby pool at Great Wolf Lodge

The Cobb cousins and Mimi and Papeaux

Family pic

Another Freebie: Woman on the Roof (2 Samuel)

2010-12-30T11:58:00.000-08:00

I just posted another freebie download over on the Scripture to Music Collective site. This song is from 2 Samuel, and I'm really excited about this one! I can't remember writing a song in this story-telling style, using just one phrase to act as a chorus and give the song a cohesive feel. Maybe there is an official name for this type of song but, if there is, I don't know it. :)

Please let me know what you think! If you'd like to download it, just click the down arrow icon. You can also embed any of these songs or the whole set on your blog or website if you're feeling so inclined and generous.

Woman on the Roof (2 Samuel) by Caroline Cobb

The story of King David and Bathsheba from 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12.

"In this song, the story found in 2 Samuel 11-12 is told from King David's perspective. Elsewhere in the Bible, King David is described as a 'man after God's own heart,' but here he falls far short of that description as his 'innocent' desire spirals into adultery, deceit, and finally murder. But when the prophet opens David's eyes to his horrid sins, he repents. Although this story is full of the ugliest sins and the terrible consequences of sin, God redeems it and makes it part of the greater Story (see Matthew 1:6 in the context of Matthew 1). I love how He does that." - Caroline

Lyrics:

Free download: Nahum: Oh, Nineveh

2010-12-22T14:15:00.000-08:00

I just posted a new song to the Scripture to Music Collective site here! That's 10 songs posted for 7 books of the Bible. Only 59 more books to go...

When I signed myself up to write a song for every book of the Bible in a year, I thought about books like Leviticus, Song of Solomon [*blush*], and pretty much all of the minor prophets (like Nahum) and thought to myself "those will be hard ones". Although this song is definitely not a "feel-good" song, it sure feels good to check one of those tough books off the list.

Song Description:
Nahum was going to be one of those books for which it would be nearly impossible to write a song. It is a book about God's wrath and judgement against an evil city called Nineveh, and Nahum really doesn't hold back in his vivid descriptions of what that judgement will look like. This book reminds us of the all-consuming heat of God's wrath which, according to Scripture, all sinners against a holy God deserve. It should freak us out, to be honest. And ultimately, it should make us thankful for Christ who absorbed God's wrath on our behalf.

Oh, Nineveh (Nahum) by Caroline Cobb

Full Lyrics:

The Missing Piece

2010-12-21T09:02:00.000-08:00

The intro to The Jesus Storybook Bible (Ellie's Christmas present - shhh don't tell her) is worded in such a beautiful way, and it is making me very excited about and thankful for Christmas :) Here is a short excerpt:

There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one big story. The story of how God loves His children and comes to rescue them.

It takes the whole Bible to tell this story. And at the center of the story, there is a baby. Every story whispers his name. He is like the missing piece of the puzzle- the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture.'

Today, I am thankful that at Christmas we celebrate this great gift - the sending of that missing piece that brings out the beautiful picture. In the Old Testament, things seems pretty hopeless for God's people, for they'll never get it right or obey the whole Law. But their great Help arrives when a helpless baby is born in Bethlehem. He is that missing piece that all of the prophets foretold, and the only one who could fulfill all that the laws required. And, in love, He gave Himself up for us.

Here's a longer excerpt from the intro. The whole thing is amazing!

Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should do and shouldn't do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. It's about God and what He has done.

Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you'll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren't heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose). They get afraid and run away. At times they are downright mean.

No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a story. It's an adventure story about a young hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It's a love story about a brave prince who leaves his palace, his throne- everything-to rescue the one he loves. It's like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life.

You see, the best thing about the story is- it's true.

There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one big story. The story of how God loves His children and comes to rescue them.

Great Song: In the Night by Andrew Peterson

2010-12-21T08:46:00.000-08:00

I was just listening to Andrew Peterson's newest album Counting Stars in my car yesterday, and this song stopped me and pulled at something deep inside of me. The words are just awesome. This is the type of song that I want to write!! And it tells the Story - God's Story - in such fullness! My favorite line in the song may be this one...

I can see the crowd of men retreating
As he stands between the woman and their stones
And if mercy in his holy heart is beating
Then in the night my hope lives on

I am so thankful that mercy beats in His holy heart.

Here is the song with the lyrics below:

Full Lyrics:

I am weary with the pain of Jacob’s wrestling
In the darkness with the Fear, in the darkness with the Fear
But he met the morning wounded with a blessing
So in the night my hope lives on

When Elisha woke surrounded by the forces
Of the enemies of God, the enemies of God
He saw the hills aflame with angels on their horses
So in the night my hope lives on

I see the slave that toils beneath the yoke unyielding
And I can hear the captive groan, hear the captive groan
For some hand to stay the whip his foe is wielding
Still in the night my hope lives on

I see the armies of the enemy approaching
And the people driven, trembling, to the shore
But a doorway through the waters now is opening
So in the night my hope lives on

Like the son who thought he’d gone beyond forgiveness,
Too ashamed to life his head–but if he could lift his head
He would see his father running from a distance
In the night my hope lives on

I can see the crowd of men retreating
As he stands between the woman and their stones
And if mercy in his holy heart is beating
Then in the night my hope lives on

I remember how they scorned the son of Mary
He was gentle as a lamb, gentle as a lamb
He was beaten, he was crucified, and buried
And in the night, my hope was gone

But the rulers of the earth could not control Him
They did not take his life–he laid it down
All the chains of death could never hope to hold him
So in the night my hope lives on

I can see the Son of Man descending
And the sword He swings is brighter than the dawn
And the gates of Hell will never stand against him
So in the night my hope lives on

December Thanks

2010-12-17T14:40:00.000-08:00

31. Nick's aunts babysitting for us!
32. Christmas toe socks
33. New stockings (and that we have three of them)!

34. Ellie and me laughing back and forth at each other

35. Friends and their brand new babies

36. Holding said brand new babies
37. Things slowing down after a way-too-busy Sep-Nov. (I know, weird for December, right?)
38. Driving around listening to Christmas carols
39. These rich and meaningful Christmas carol lines
40. That I can be my goofy self with my husband

5 Favorite Albums of 2010!

2010-12-15T08:07:00.000-08:00

I posted a little something about our 5 Favorite Albums of 2010 over on the music blog. Just for fun!

By the way, sorry for always pushing you over to the other blogs I have going (Scripture to Music, Smither Stories, and Caroline Cobb). Sometimes, I want you to see what I posted over on the other blogs. I've thought about combining all the blogs, but I like having a separate family blog. Even though all the world can see it if they want to, it feels a little more private :)

Hope you are having a great Christmas season!

5 Favorite Albums of 2010

2010-12-15T08:03:00.000-08:00

In no particular order, here are my favorite albums of 2010! There are others that I love, but these I have listened to over and over (and over), and they never get old.

Sandra McCracken - In Feast Or Fallow

I love the production on this by Derek Webb, and I love the richness and depth of the lyrics! My favorite is "This is the Christ". "Hidden Place" was especially meaningful for me as we had our first baby, Ellie, this March.

Patty Griffin - Downtown Church

Oh, Patty, I love you. I actually wasn't sure if I was going to like this one, because my favorite thing about Patty is her songwriting and this is a CD of covers. But it's amazing and so fun to listen to. This CD made me decide that I will buy every Patty CD that comes out, even if I haven't listened to it yet. She never fails to bring it and her voice is -without question - my favorite female voice out there (Sandra, you are #2).

Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

This CD is #1 on a ton of the "Best of 2010" lists out there, so I probably don't need to say why we like it. :) My husband Nick is a big fan of this one!

Shane and Shane - Everything Is Different

Like Patty, I pretty much love everything Shane and Shane puts out. I love their use of Scripture in their songs - every song is saturated with truths from the Bible. In a world where the lyrics in Christian music is often over-simplified (how many times can you rhyme "grace" and "face" or "name" and "fame"?), their lyrics really stand out. Their harmonies and guitar skills are obviously great too!

The National - High Violet

When we got their first album, I wasn't sure I liked the lead singer's voice. But it grew on me, and now I love it. I love the production and instrumentation on their albums. This CD has stayed in my CD player all year (partly because of laziness), but I am almost always in the mood to listen to it.

Background Music for You Today

2010-12-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

Hey friends! If you're at work today or relaxing at home, here is some music for you to stream in the background. In case you missed it, there are three free downloads on here, a gift for you this Christmas! This is all a part of the Scripture to Music project that I'm doing... trying to write a song based on every book of the Bible in one year! So far, I have 30 songs for 25 books written, but I have a loooong way to go because many of those were written in years prior and many of those are not recorded.

So far, all of the songs below are posted to the Scripture to Music Collective site. Hope you enjoy streaming them! If you want to embed this HTML on your site or blog, you can too.

Scripture to Music Project by Caroline Cobb

Ellie's 9 months!

2010-12-10T11:54:00.000-08:00

Uh oh... I haven't done a video yet. But I plan to! We are having a lot of fun with Ellie these days. She's still as social as ever, but she's getting even and more interactive and "talkative" and smiley.

Our favorite thing lately has been laughing back and forth with her. Here's how it usually goes... we'll start laughing at something she does, and then she'll start laughing because we're laughing, and then we're laughing harder at her because she's laughing... aaaand the cycle continues. We are so thankful for her.

These days her favorite things are climbing around and exploring, jumping in the jumperoo, eating bananas and cheese, and playing in her room with her toys. Her least favorite thing is probably sitting still for diaper changes or nap time. Oh well!

Here are some fun pics from this past month...

Merry Christmas: 3 Free Downloads!

2010-12-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Caroline Cobb Music!

As a Christmas present from me to you, I want to make sure you get the three free downloads of songs I've recently posted to The Scripture to Music Collective: "All the Stars", "Habakkuk's Prayer", and "Philippians 2".

These songs are part of my goal of writing a song for every book of the Bible by 11/11/11. So far, I have written 28 songs from 21 books. I've recorded 12 and posted 7 to Scripture to Music. So far so good, but I have a long way to go!

To get your free downloads, go here or just check out the embedded Scripture to Music playlist below. You'll see all 7 songs I've uploaded to Scripture to Music so far, and you can stream all 7 for free right here. OR you can embed this player on your website or blog (it'll look just like it does below if you drop it in the HTML).

"All the Stars", "Habakkuk's Prayer", and "Philippians 2" are the three songs currently available for FREE download. The other 4 can be downloaded from Amazon for just 89 cents each!

Scripture to Music Project by Caroline Cobb

PS - Order CD's by December 15!

If you are interested in buying one of my albums as a Christmas present this year, that would be A-OK with me! You can buy them here for the very low price of $10 each, but make sure to order them by December 15 so that they'll make it to their destination by Christmas. If you'd like for me to personalize your order in any way, just shoot me an e-mail.

Free Download of a New Song from Philippians 2!

2010-12-08T09:02:00.000-08:00

I just posted a new song over on The Scripture to Music Collective! It's from Philippians 2, and I'm really excited about this one. I tried to take the passage from Philippians 2:6-11 and keep as much of the content and wording as I possibly could. This passage is taken from an old hymn sung by the early church, I believe, and I just love the words.

It's about Jesus coming in human form, so it's very fitting for the Christmas season. Since it's a free download, please consider it a gift from me to you! I hope it encourages you. Remember, it's just a demo, so the recording is a little rough... keep that in mind!

Go here to download it for free (just click the little arrow icon).

Lyrics:

"Though He was in the form of God

He did not count Himself equal

But made Himself as nothing

A servant for the people

And in our likeness He was born

A king inside a manger

And being found in human form

He was treated like a stranger

Obedient to the point of death

And humble in every breath

To the glory of the Father God

Jesus the Son went to the cross

And so God has exalted Him

Given name above all names

That heav'n and earth should worship Him

Raised to the highest place

Every knee bow, every tongue confess

That He is Lord o'er all the rest

To the glory of the Father God

Jesus the Son went to the cross

Hallelujah"

Free Christmas Download: "Philippians 2"

2010-12-08T09:01:00.000-08:00

Go here to download it for free (just click the little arrow icon).

Lyrics:

"Though He was in the form of God

He did not count Himself equal

But made Himself as nothing

A servant for the people

And in our likeness He was born

A king inside a manger

And being found in human form

He was treated like a stranger

Obedient to the point of death

And humble in every breath

To the glory of the Father God

Jesus the Son went to the cross

And so God has exalted Him

Given name above all names

That heav'n and earth should worship Him

Raised to the highest place

Every knee bow, every tongue confess

That He is Lord o'er all the rest

To the glory of the Father God

Jesus the Son went to the cross

Hallelujah"

Amazing Christmas Carol Lines

2010-12-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

I love the rich, beautiful lines found in familiar Christmas carols. We hear these songs everywhere during the holiday season - in elevators, in department stores, on TV, on the radio - but do we really hear the words? Usually, I don't! But when you sit back and meditate on them, they are pretty amazing. Oh to write some words like these!

What are your favorite carols or your favorite lines? Here are some of mine....

"No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found."

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

- "Joy to the World"

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

- "O Holy Night"

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.

- "What Child is This"

Stay-at-Home Mom/Songwriter

2010-12-06T11:30:00.000-08:00

I read this article by Keirsten Casella just now as I was feeding Ellie her bottle. It made me laugh out loud, it made me cry, and it is beautifully written.

As a stay-at-home mom and a songwriter, I am constantly struggling with how these two identities fit together. What is my purpose? Where is the creativity and beauty in piles of laundry and poopy diapers and spit up? Why do I feel so selfish whenever I put Ellie in Mother's Day Out so I can work on writing and recording?

This article helped me see that I'm not alone in this struggle and tension. It reminded me of the beauty of motherhood - even in the midst of monotonous things like diaper changes and picking up soggy cheerios off the floor. At the same time, it reminded me of the importance of carving out time to be creative.

Here are some key paragraphs from the article:

"My children, with all their enthusiasm to play and explore the world, provide an endless fountain of imagination from which to drink. But they also produce a mountain of laundry the size of California, and it isn’t going to wash itself. My kids, like most, necessitate a certain rhythm to their daily lives, and it doesn’t usually leave room to dash over to the local museum for a Renoir fix whenever I need one. Quite frankly, I’ve discovered that motherhood can feel isolating at times, especially for a free-spirited person like me who doesn’t thrive on structure.

Making art, whether in the form of a painting, a photograph, or an essay, is a way for me to break out of that rhythm for a while. It is so gratifying to accomplish something that cannot be undone or that doesn’t need repeating day-in and day-out. Scraping syrupy bits of waffle off my kitchen floor, for example, can feel like I’m living in a scene from Groundhog Day for as often as I repeat the task. With art, there’s no déjà vu. A stark white canvas comes alive with color and abstractness, and I can keep layering the paint until something emerges that never will be replicated in quite the same way.

For me, pressing my brush against a canvas shakes the snow globe of monotony. It’s how I process this season of life and refill my cup. More than that, it’s the way I etch toward beauty, contemplate truth, and lasso the wayward bits of myself so I have more to give to the people I love."

"I study my children and never cease to be amazed by the complexity and uniqueness of their delicate faces. They are small, priceless masterpieces. I know, without a doubt, that their existence makes me want to escape to my upstairs studio to make art, and not just because it gives me time alone."

Things That Make Us Laugh: Elf

2010-12-03T09:42:00.000-08:00

"Bye Buddy! Hope you find your dad!"
"Thanks, Mr. Narwhal."

We are watching this tonight. I cannot WAIT!

"I love you, I love you, I LOOOVE you!"

"You DID it!"

Another Song from Genesis: "Garden"

2010-12-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

This is Genesis week apparently for me! I just posted another song from Genesis, "Garden", over on the Scripture to Music Collective site. "Garden" is off of my latest album, Sing, and it's one of my favorites off of that album. Go listen to it for free, and see my brief description of why I wrote the song.

I especially love the production on this song and I think the strings really add to the meaning and feel of the song - a big thank you to my friends Amanda, Becca, and Jonathan from Boston who made those awesome strings happen!

This one is available for download off Amazon for just 89 cents! And iTunes too!

Playing for Just a Few People

2010-12-01T08:51:00.000-08:00

I just posted on the music blog about a concert that I did the other week! I really want to play in Houston in February. Any thoughts on where I should play?!

Playing for Just a Few People

2010-12-01T08:49:00.000-08:00

I played a concert at KE Cellars in Tyler, TX just the other day. The last time I played at KE Cellars, a pretty big group of folks came out... I was actually surprised by it, because we hadn't been in Tyler long and we really didn't know too many people well yet. It was such a fun concert, with some good crowd participation, and people had a great time together, which made me happy.

But this time, there were only a few people there - some strangers, and 3 friends. It was a weird sensation, because I'm not used to having this small of a crowd. I love looking out into a big crowd of people talking and having fun, or listening to me sing these songs.

But, this concert - even with so few people - was still really satisfying for me. I was tempted not to post about this concert because - in some people's eyes - it might be deemed a "failure". But it wasn't a failure. It was me getting up there, doing what I enjoy doing. You know you're doing things for mostly right reasons when you don't care if anyone really hears you. When you enjoy it almost as much in front of a small crowd as you do in front of a big one.

I'd take a big crowd of intent listeners anyday over a small one, don't get me wrong! But I love this music thing so much that I'll do it even when no one is listening. And that makes me feel good about pursuing this thing.

Here are some pictures from the night:

Carolyn, David, and one of Ellie's suitors, Hutch!

New friend Josh

I have TOMS and skinny jeans on! Aren't I a hippy-cool rock star?!

Turkey Day!

2010-11-29T14:59:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this year at Debbie and Joe's! It was so nice to be able to drive 20 minutes to be with family, rather than taking 2 flights from Boston :) My parents also came up to hang out - they were "orphaned" since my sisters and I were all with our in-laws. The Smiths always host a big group of cousins and relatives, and Debbie always does a great job hosting... cooking a TON of yummy food and desserts galore. Oh, and Joe you do a great job of hosting too :)

Ellie had fun playing with her cousins Will, Keely, Brianna, and Austin. It was also really fun to have my parents there. And a certain football team's loss, while disappointing, was not that really that big of a deal, considering the way the year has gone! Hope you guys all had a great Thanksgiving!

I love this picture of Ellie and her cousins Will and Keely!

Free Download of New Song from Genesis!

2010-11-29T14:09:00.000-08:00

Head on over to the Caroline Cobb music blog to hear a new song I wrote for the Scripture to Music Collective! It's also a free download! Would love to hear what you think.

Free Download of New Song from Genesis

2010-11-29T14:07:00.000-08:00

All the Stars by Caroline Cobb

Based on Genesis 12, 13, and 15, "All the Stars" is a song that describes the covenant promises God made to Abraham. We often skip over these intimate and huge promises that the God of the universe made to a normal man. Abraham's story is a perfect example of how the intricate details of our stories fit into the overarching Story of God.

This is a new song that I worked on for the Scripture to Music Collective (S2M). What do you think?! I'd love to hear your comments and constructive criticism!

As a reminder, I'm planning to write at least 66 songs - one for each book of the Bible - before 11/11/11.

So, here's the status...

28 total songs written

21 books covered

12 recorded

5 posted to S2M

Christmas Cards

2010-11-27T13:29:00.000-08:00

I love receiving and sending Christmas cards, don't you? Even though it can sometimes become "one more thing" that makes us busy and crowds the true meaning of Christmas, I think there is something really special about it.

One thing I love to do is add a meaningful line from a Christmas carol to our cards every year. Like hymns, Christmas carols have some amazingly rich and meaningful lyrics. But because Christmas carols are so familiar to us - they're played in Starbucks, department stores, and elevators all over the world during this time of year - we often miss the richness of these lines. This year, we're going with this line from that oh-so-familiar carol "Joy to the World": "Let every heart prepare Him room." Again, with the "crowdedness" and busy-ness of Christmas, this is a prayer I have for Nick and me!

I've already made our card on Shutterfly, but I don't want to "reveal" it, so here are some of my other faves from that site that are on the "cheaper" side... (I like how you can put lots of pics in there!).

PS - Right now, Shutterfly is running a great sale! Combined with some great promos that they're doing, you can get a great deal on super cute Christmas cards (I'm talking really, really cheap)! You can also get wall calendars buy-one-get-one (BOGO) 1/2 off and Photobooks BOGO 1/2 off, both great Christmas gifts. The sale ends in a few days - on December 1. You can also get free shipping on orders over $25 with code SHIP25. AND...I also like their party invitations (is it sad that I'm already looking forward to/secretly planning Ellie's 1 year b-day party?).

PPS - Shutterfly is also doing a cool promotion for bloggers that I'm taking advantage of with this post. If you will write a blog entry about Shutterfly's cards, etc. you can receive 50 free Christmas cards! So, if you're a blogger - go for it!

Scripture to Music Update!

2010-11-19T10:23:00.000-08:00

Whew! I am really enjoying writing songs for the Scripture to Music project I told you about in the last post. I have to write at least 66 songs - at least one for every book of the Bible - by the time I turn 30 on 11/11/11.

Here's a quick update:

The other night, I couldn't sleep so I wrote some words for a song from Song of Solomon (*blush*) at 2 AM (*yawn*) and then put it to music the next morning. I also recently wrote a song for Numbers and Lamentations (did you know "desolate" loosely rhymes with "bitterness"?). In the past month or so, I've written songs for Exodus (re: the Passover), Genesis (re: Abrahamic Covenant), 1 Samuel (re: Hannah), Ruth, Philippians, Colossians, and more. I have little pieces of songs for Isaiah and Jeremiah. I can't tell you how much FUN this is for me!!!

**pause while I stop Ellie from eating the Jade plant**

A visual of my progress on the Scripture to Music project: at least 66 songs a year!!!

What I'm not enjoying? Trying to figure out how to get my recording equipment running on a new computer!! BLEH.

I love the feeling of having a song recorded, of having it "set". I'd rather write than record any day of the week, but without recording a song, no one can hear it! Needless to say, I have lots of need-to-be-recorded songs hanging over my head. Unfortunately, before I can record them there are drivers to be installed, and technical issues to work through. I need a techy musician person to come over to my house, please.

**pause to stop Ellie from eating the box of matches**

But I do promise you this: as soon as I figure all of this stuff out and start recording, you'll be the first to hear all of this new stuff! Can't wait!

Pre-Thanksgiving Thankfulness

2010-11-19T10:00:00.000-08:00

21. That snot sucker contraption for babies. Very handy dandy :)
22. Instagram app on the iPhone, making all my normal photos look way cooler.
23. My new, comfy, make-me-feel-like-an-artsy-rock-star-hippy TOMS!

24. Sufjan Steven's Christmas album, Songs For Christmas!
25. Ellie smiling at me from the backseat
26. Amazing Collection Bible Study @ church - going through the whole Bible book by book

27. My nephew in utero!! So excited to meet him.
28. God's faithfulness - after a season of sadness and loss...joy.
29. Fall leaves (Yes, even in TX! Not quite as bright and beautiful as New England's, but that's ok)
30. Starbucks b-day love!

Birthday Gratitude

2010-11-16T10:42:00.000-08:00

I had a great birthday last week, thanks especially to my husband. Here's a continuation of the gratitude list!

11. Old friends who drove in from Dallas to surprise me and just hang out on Wednesday

Emily, Erin, and cute Sam (Ellie was napping)

12. New friends who hosted and came to a little Tex Mex surprise birthday party for me Tuesday
13. All of these things happening on Tuesday and Wednesday instead of Thursday (actual birthday) so I could enjoy them! (Ellie and I both got sick and I spent all day Thursday at doctors' offices and that night sitting by the toilet!)
14. A husband who knows exactly how I would want to celebrate a birthday
15. Good health
16. New friends who bring me Einstein's :)

And some not-necessarily-related-to-the-birthday gratitude:

17. Going to a baby shower for a baby you prayed and pleaded for since the beginning
18. Friends' kids and babies
19. The "inhale" laugh - fills me with warmth and cracks me up every time!
20. We have a treasure inside cracked, broken jars of clay. And that's a good thing. 2 Cor 4:7

Ellie's 8 Months!

2010-11-13T20:02:00.000-08:00

Well, she was 8 months on November 6! As always, I'm a bit late (oops). Here is a video showing what she's been up to. I am loving her little "inhale" laugh, which you'll see a clip of in there! :)

30 Before 30

2010-11-11T10:50:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I (Caroline) am going to be 30 on 11/11/11! This amazing date, with all of its digital repeating singularness (I totally made that up and - no - I do not think it makes any sense at all), along with the fact that this date will bring me from my 20's to my 30's, calls for some special kind of action. Hence, the "30 Before 30" list which I present to you today.

I'm in a very goofy mood, by the way. I'm sure you can tell?

I've seen these around on a blog or two, and I thought it would be fun to make my own! I don't actually have a full thirty things yet, but I'm sure I'll add them as we go along. And here she is in all her glory and in no particular order.... Anything you think I should add???

1. Take Ellie to the zoo
2. Write a song for every book of Bible & send them to The Scripture to Music Collective
3. Plan at least 2 fun girls' nights out
4. Plan another college girls' trip
5. Plan a fun surprise date for Nick
6. Try out for kerrville folk festival
7. Do a 10k (er... maybe just a 5k?)

8. See both HP movies in the theatre, and preferably dressed up as Hermoine at the midnight showings with the Hicks (SO EXCITED! And so lame for a 29 year old?)

9. Plant a garden
10. Go to Frontier with YL kids
11. Snowboard
12. Go camping
13. Learn basic HTML
14. Learn basic Photoshop
15. "Unplug" Sundays - I want to start a habit of "unplugging" from Facebook, Twitter, and the internet on Sundays!!!
16. Make a running list of things I'm thankful for

17. Host a Chinese New Year Party

18. Host a really special first birthday party for Ellie

19. Make Ellie a nice 1st year iBook

20-30....?

Gratitude

2010-11-08T08:22:00.000-08:00

With my 29th birthday coming up, I've started to make a little "30 before 30" list - a list of thirty things I want to accomplish before I'm 30 (yeesh!). But more on that later...

One of the things I want to do is start a running list of things for which I am thankful. I'm copying my cool friend Kit from Boston on this one. Thanks, Kit, for this idea! As I look to thank and praise God for the small things in life, my prayer is that God would create in me a grateful heart and that I would see His beauty everywhere.

1. Relaxing in the park.

2. Avocados

3. Blue Bell Coffee Ice Cream

4. My comfy robe

5. Protection from almost buying a house that we probably shouldn't have

6. Ellie's pretty grandmothers and their willingness to babysit.

7. Saturday mornings at Einstein's Bagels.

8. Dallas in only 2 hours away from Tyler

9. Baby Einstein movies on long car rides with Ellie

10. Success with my first-ever gardening experience! Jalepenos! Nevermind that the cilantro got chopped up because the yard guy thought it was a weed or that the tomato plant has yet to show signs of growing a tomato :)

A New Project I'm Dying to Tell You About!

2010-11-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

Click here to find out more!

A New Project I'm Dying to Tell You About!

2010-11-01T14:17:00.000-07:00

Announcing The Scripture to Music Collective!

The Scripture to Music Collective is a brand new project I've been dreaming about, working on, and developing for several months. The idea is simple: that songwriters would put passages of Scripture to music, and would contribute those songs to a collective database online. The goal is to have songs for every book of the Bible, and to keep going from there.

My BIG Goal

I have have a goal to write a song or two for every book of the Bible by the time I'm 30 (on 11/11/11). At least 66 songs in just about a year! I've already started the process and it's been really fun and encouraging for me. I'll be blogging about this, so be on the lookout!

How an Individual Goal Became a Collective Project
This whole thing started off as something that I wanted to do for and by myself, but then I thought "Hey, this is much bigger than just me and it could really encourage the Church." So, I started inviting songwriter friends to do it with me - they can contribute just one song or a bunch of songs - as many as they want - and they can contribute again and again over time.

And guess what? I already have two other songwriters roped in and we've already got 5 songs from 4 books: Genesis, Habakkuk, Luke, and Psalms. Boy howdy!


Hopefully, we'll see this lil' badge of honor on a bunch of songwriters' sites in the future!

Spread the Word about Scripture to Music (S2M)

I'd definitely like to expand this project and get people listening, so Tweet, Facebook, and Blog about it for me if you feel so inclined! And invite some songwriter friends! You can also grab the S2M button and put it on your website (I'm about to put it on my own little blog as well!) by going to the Scripture to Music site and getting the HTML code.

This project is in its infancy, so, please, please, please let me know what you think of this project and give me as much feedback and constructive criticism as you can.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

Fall!

2010-10-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

Fall is here (sort of?) in Texas! I really miss the beauty of fall in New England, with all of the colors and the cool weather (why do Texans even own scarves?!), but we're having some good times here too! Earlier in the month, we went out to a pumpkin patch with Ellie. I also got super mommy-ish/domestic and hosted my first ever playgroup just today - all the kids had to wear their Halloween costumes and it was so fun!

At Bell Family Farm

Halloween costume playgroup.

With Hutch the Giraffe. It looks like he's pointing at her and saying "Do you see this?!"
And Ellie does look like quite the mischievous lady bug, doesn't she?

Brandt, I think you win for best costume - a YODELER!

As you can see, I loved the fall leaves in New England.

Ellie's 7 month video...

2010-10-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I wanted to make Ellie a 7 month video, but I haven't had the chance to put it all together until tonight... And she's going to be 8 months in like a week! Oops! Ellie gets more and more fun and interactive every month, and we are really enjoying her so much.

Enjoy the video!

Things that Make Us Laugh: Bed Intruder Song

2010-10-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

A hilarious (and catchy!) "Autotune the News" song!!! This is kind of old, but if you haven't seen it yet - it's hilarious! If you haven't seen it before, watch the original news story first, and then watch the autotuned version. And now are all these offshoots... watch the third video to see what I mean! :)

Autotuned:

Original News Story:

Battle of the Bands...

Writing for FUN

2010-10-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

My songwriting friend (and super blogger), Mandy, wrote a great post today. Here's a little snippet:

"There are things in life that we do because they’re fun. For me, it’s songwriting. I started songwriting as a pleasure – a recreation – a creative outlet. But now there’s a bit of pressure attached – expectations – goals – publisher stuff – co-writing – whatever. These things sometimes make it more of a “have to” and not a “get to.” So how do we maintain the element of Play? The element of Fun?"

So true. Like Mandy, I love writing songs. Last night, I just sat on my floor in the guest room (where my guitar lives) and started writing and singing. I had so much fun! Time flew.

In the recent past, I have worried about things - things like commercial viability or how this song will sound to other people - while I wrote. Suddenly my "get to" changed to a "have to"!

But lately, I've gotten back to the "get to". Why? Well, I have a new little project that I've been working on and am going to announce soon. This project is supplying so much inspiration that I can't help but write! But with this project, there is also no pressure for commercial viability or how the song will sound in a concert setting or any of that stuff. None.

And so, I'm writing for FUN. Can't wait to share about this project with you, by the way!

5 Years

2010-10-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

Today is our 5 year anniversary! Woo hoo! For some reason, this feels like a big one. I want to write something deep and amazing, but my brain is tired from jet lag. Let me just say that as we recall the experiences and adventures we've had together, the conflicts and the resolutions, and the ways we've grown together as a couple, learning to love each other and love God better... as we recall all of the joys and struggles of the last 5 years, we are just really thankful. I am really grateful that I am married to Nick, and that together with Ellie we're a family.
One thing we like to do every year is recall our favorite memories from each year, and I thought I'd share some with you!

Year 1 - Trip to Portland/Seattle & 1 Yr. Anniversary Date in China

After several months of communal living with no AC and not much hot water in what we very much jokingly and ironically referred to as the "Bellagio" (our house in China), we were so amazed and appreciative of a fluffy bed with clean white sheets at the hotel we went to for our anniversary. Nick's face pretty much says it all. :)

Waterfalls in Columbia River Gorge near Portland.

Year 2 - Yangshuo, China; Phi Phi Island, Thailand;

& 2 Yr. Anniversary Trip to the White Mountains in NH

Yangshuo

Phi Phi Island

White Mtns.

Year 3 - Trip to Maine & Camping with Friends


Maine


Vermont with Cumbies and O'Briens

White Mtns with the Hicks and Lehtinens

Year 4: Ellie!

Year 5: We shall see... but Kauai may just be one of them!

Kauai Trip!

2010-10-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

To celebrate our 5 year anniversary (and as a sort of post-baby babymoon), we took a trip this past week to Kauai, HI. It was a really good time for us... and we just enjoyed hanging out with each other, getting some alone time, exploring Kauai, and taking in the beauty around us. Highlights would probably be hiking the Na Pali coast and up to a waterfall and just hanging out on the beach. Ellie's grandparents took care of her and did such a good job that I don't think she even noticed we were gone. :)


Waimea Canyon


Lookout onto Na Pali


You can't really see us, but we're under that waterfall :)


Hiked up to a beautiful waterfall!


Tunnels Beach

Seeing my oldest friend, Katy, who was there at the same time.

House Concert in Dallas

2010-10-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

Had so much fun at the house concert in Dallas last Friday. It was a perfect night weather-wise, there was a good crowd of people - both old friends and people I had never met, and it was a really cool, intimate atmosphere. Once again, I am a loser and didn't take any pictures... but sometimes, you just don't want to ruin the moment by trying to capture it, you know? Thanks so much to old friends and new who came over to Erin and Jonathan's house. And thanks so much to JH and Erin for letting me use their house, and for promoting the show. I really appreciate you!

My awesome hosts Jonathan and Erin.
Don't kill me for using this pic, Flare!

The Scrunchy Nose Face

2010-09-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

So, last month it was the tongue. This month, we are proud to introduce the "scrunchy nose face" that Ellie makes all the time. It's accompanied by a little *snort-snort* noise, which is just hilarious.

This last one is a bit "scary movie", I think... :)

Ellie's 6 Month Photo Shoot

2010-09-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

I feel like we've just posted a bunch about Ellie lately, but - um - here's another post about Ellie. A week or so ago, I took her to get some 6 month pictures and I wanted to share our favorites. A big thank you to our friend Olivia who did the shoot and edited all of the pictures! She is really good and we're so thankful that she could do this for us!

We love this little series in black and white that shows the many faces of Ellie.

So professional, Olivia!

Awesome face.

Ellie's first UT football game

2010-09-26T12:26:00.000-07:00

Just yesterday, we went to our first UT football home game since before we were married (5 years!) and we got to take Ellie! Unfortunately, the Longhorns played pretty terribly against a not-so-good team - penalties everywhere and just horrible on offense (bleh!). But, we still had fun! Ellie did pretty well, especially since she had her Nini and some crackers to keep her entertained. Here are some pictures from our day!

The First Concert Since Ellie

2010-09-25T09:48:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday night, I played a concert at KE Cellars in Tyler, Texas. This was my first concert since I was 7 months pregnant with 6 month old Ellie, which means it was my first concert in 8 months (yay for my math skills and knowledge of the gestational period... and yay for me knowing big words like "gestational").

My last concert pre-Ellie. Look at that belly! Gotta love the profile shot.
[Shout out to Sam Stuntz on bass]

KE Cellars is an awesome venue - it's all about wine and wine tasting there, the room is decorated with old wine barrels, and they even have wine on tap (so cool!). I'm excited to play at this place again.

This concert was fun for several reasons. For one, I really loved getting to play again after my Ellie hiatus. It felt good to be up there. Second, it was great to have new friends from Tyler, our new home, come out in support. It's amazing that we've only been here for a few months and yet there were lots of people there. Third, I got to play a LOT of songs since I had a three hour set (whew!), including some old ones that I've never recorded, and some covers by Patty Griffin, Gillian Welch, Ingrid Michaelson, Bob Dylan, and others! (By the way, love me some Patty. Could do all Patty covers, but that would be kind of weird).

Anyway, I had a ton of fun at this concert. So much fun that I didn't have the presence of mind to ask anyone to take pictures or video. Luckily, Nick's Aunt Toni snapped one from her iPhone:

The only pic from the night! Thanks Aunt Toni!

Concert in Dallas next Friday!

2010-09-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to announce that I'll be playing a FREE concert in Dallas next Friday, Oct. 1 at 8 pm! My friends Erin and Jonathan are hosting a house concert for me at their awesome home right by SMU. I'll be playing on their big back porch, and the weather is supposed to be perfect - clear and a cool 72 degrees. There will be coffee and feel free to BYO snacks and drinks to share. You may also want to bring a lawn chair or a blanket!

House concerts are intimate and chill and super fun, so I hope you can make it out! Would love to see some Dallas friends and some friends who are in town for that little rivalry college football game (go horns!).

I'm not going to list Erin and Jonathan's address here for all of the world wide web to see, BUT, please contact me at carolinecobbmusic{at}gmail and, if you're not a creeper, I'll give it to ya!

Pic from an outdoor concert in New England.

Blue Sky Sunday in the top 5!

2010-09-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

Check out some more cool music news on the Caroline Cobb music blog!

News: Top 5 for the band Eden's Edge

2010-09-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

Hey again! More cool news...

I submitted "Blue Sky Sunday" to another songwriting contest and it made it to the top 5 out of 172 submissions! This time, the band Eden's Edge is looking for "Dixie Chicks meets Nickel Creek" songs for their new project with Big Machine records. I hadn't heard of Eden's Edge, but checked them out and they are great! I heard back just a few days ago that it made it to the top 5! We'll see what happens next, and of course I'll keep you updated.

Oh to be a full-time songwriter....

Murder & Mystery?

2010-09-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a few pictures from this past Friday night - our first ever murder mystery dinner! Never actually thought we'd do one of these, but it was hilarious and super fun. We met some new people and got to know some people we already knew a lot better (and on a very weirdly entertaining level). Thanks to the Osteens for hosting!

Nick as Bob Bucks the accountant and me as Allison, the spoiled daughter. A good night to wear the ol' 80's dress, no?

The group

The girls

The guys

Ellie is 6 Months Old!

2010-09-12T20:39:00.000-07:00

It's so hard to believe that Ellie has been with us for half a year... This month was a big one for Ellie (check out the video below to find out why!). Here are some things that we love about Ellie...

1) She's super social... always twisting around to see everyone, always wanting to be held facing out, and always willing to smile... even (or especially?) at a stranger. She always skips her nap at church but is completely happy anyway because she's surrounded by people! But as soon as we're in the car, she is 100% sacked out.

2) She's always on the move... She is only still when she's asleep - literally! She's a major wiggle worm. At her 6 month check up, poor thing was in the 5th percentile for weight (25th for height). The doctor said it was because she was a "calorie furnace"... always kicking or twisting or scooting or sitting... always burning those calories. Need to fatten the calorie furnace up!

3) She's independent... she is usually happy to sit on the floor by herself and play. I'm really thankful for this! Sometimes, we solve fussiness by just putting her down :).

4) She knows us... There's not much to say to explain this, but that feeling that she recognizes you is just amazing. Ellie's not a big sleeper (during the day), and we're still working on extending her naps, but - man - is she cute when we go to get her out of bed...especially in the morning! That look of recognition when we come in the room brings us both a lot of joy.

Trip to Colorado!

2010-09-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

We just got back last night from a trip to Breckenridge, Colorado! It was such a good time with our old friends the [tall] Smiths and the Fraziers. Highlights were the two hikes that we took with our daughters, cooking together, watching the Horns play, and just relaxing. The lowlight? Probably driving 14 hours back home to Tyler with a toddler and a baby... and most definitely Ellie's poo explosion near Wichita Falls(yep). But really, both Saylor and Ellie did a lot better than we expected them to on that long drive! Let's just say that I'm very, very thankful for Baby Einstein. :)


Erica, Matt, and Saylor; Erick and Brooke; and the [short] Smiths.


Matt and Nick with the girls on the porch


Brooke, me, and Erica with hiker Ellie. Ellie did great on our hikes... just slobbered/sucked on her hands and made cute noises the whole time.

There was a wee bit of sadness on the long drive home, but not as much as we thought!